| Need advice on where in China to visit | |
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| Jan 9, 2018 09:27 |   |
| guestDevon | I am considering taking a 14-16 day vacation to China with my father and was wondering if anyone has recommendations for me as to where I should visit while there. I would like to see the city life in China without missing out on the nature aspect (scenery, mountains, unique plants/animals ect.), and I realize that China is a massive country and will likely only be able to travel around 1 or 2 provinces. I also must note that I personally am not looking for historic sites but I know my father will want to visit at least 1 historic site, so any recommendations regarding that will also help. Currently I am thinking to fly into Hong Kong and stay there for 3-4 days, then cross over into mainland China and stay in Shenzhen for 4-6 days. I was thinking that this would allow me to see the city life of Hong Kong as well as China. I was thinking to then venture away from the city for 3-4 days to see the nature/scenery side of China. Perhaps near Chengdu or Guilin. Then perhaps spend any left over time in Shenzhen or Hong Kong to be sure we are not pressed on time to make it back to the airport to leave. I am also curious if Guangzhou is worth visiting as it would be close to Shenzhen and on the way to Chengdu or Guilin. It may also be worth mentioning that I have never been to China, and am not set on any of the locations. Any suggestions based on what I am looking for on my visit would be greatly appreciated! |
| Jan 9, 2018 20:33 | #1 |
 | For first-timers, if you don't speak the language, travelling in China without a guide would be a little frustrating. Hong Kong is ok, though. Your plan sounds reasonable. For historic sites, I guess Xi'an is a better choice. For sight-seeing, Guiling (Yangshuo) is not bad but it's already over commercial, and you'll find more tourists than scenery. For city life, every city is dwelled by a large population and they all have their specific ways of life. Here again, you need a guide, or a friend who may take you into the heart of local life. |
| Jan 10, 2018 05:01 | #2 |
| GUESTDEVON | Thanks for the suggestion! I do have some concerns though. It seems that Xi'an is very far north compared to Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Do you have any ideas on how much a travel guide might cost? Also might I mention that the main reason I was thinking of Guilin is because it is fairly close to Shenzhen (google says 7 hours by car), and i don't want to spend a large portion of my vacation traveling (hence why I was thinking to only travel 1-2 provinces). I am assuming adding extra flights into the trip would add a large amount of expenses compared to traveling by car. These are my main concerns with traveling long distances although I may be oblivious the the travel options available in China. I might also mention that if I were to travel a long distance, Zhangjiajie looks incredibly beautiful. But again I have never been to China and know nothing about the area so I am completely open to suggestions. |
| Jan 10, 2018 05:32 | #3 |
| Thanks for the advice, and you are correct! I do not speak the language. Do you have any ideas as to how much a travel guide might cost? My only concerns with traveling as far as Xi'an is the time or money it will cost to get there. I would prefer to stay within driving distance from Hong Kong/Shenzhen as I assume extra flights would add a large expense to our vacation. Since you say that Guilin can be a commercial area for tourists, that is certainly something I would prefer to avoid if possible. Do you think that Zhangjiajie would be a good alternative? Based on the pictures I have seen it looks to have absolutely amazing scenery, and based on google maps it is a fair bit closer to Shenzhen in comparison to Xi'an. It would still be a fairly long drive but perhaps with a guide we could visit some of the local villages along the way and get to experience some of the local life and get to see the culture of the local Chinese people. (I believe my father would be equally satisfied with seeing true local culture appose to historical sites) |
| Jan 10, 2018 22:00 | #4 |
| I guess you can stay in Hong Kong for a couple of days to do some shopping, to see the people and their life. Then, come to Guangzhou to have a glimpse of how the average people are living. Guangzhou is also an old city but you won't see much old stuff. Almost all old things were demolished during the economic development. While staying in Guangzhou, you can buy one or two 5-day tour packages where you join a team of tourists to any place that is interesting to you, like Zhangjiajie. These tour packages won't have a specific English speaking guide, but there will always be someone in the team who can speak a little English and give you some assistance during the trip. As you don't speak the language and the budget is a concern, it will be a little hard to go far into the daily life of the local people. I don't know the cost of a private tour guide. But, with his/her fees plus accommodation and transportation, that will surely bite into your budget. |
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